Quotes from Devdutt Pattanaik

If I am what I own, then I cling to what I have to secure my value in the world. And when you try to take it from me, I feel violated, for my identity is attached to my property.

with in a infinite myth their lies a eternal truth who sees it all. varuna has thousand eyes indra has hundred and you and i oly two.

Your intellect can choose how to react to a particular stimulation. Often, there is so much conditioning, there is little thought between stimulation and reaction. But the option exists.

The aim of his narrative is to remind all not to judge people without knowing their story. Even the worst of villains has a story that perhaps explains their actions, without condoning them.

Knowledge is like a floating log of wood that helps us stay afloat in the ocean of misery. To find the shore, we have to kick our legs and swim. No one can do that for us,' said Hanuman.

Though nobleman, he can never be king. Though cowherd, he can always lead.

Nothing in the Hindu world happens spontaneously. Every event is a reaction to the past, the result of a curse or a boon. Fortune is predestined. Misfortune fated.

It is easy to decide between right and wrong but it is difficult to decide between what is right and what is more right

When the customer makes a request and Babulal reacts immediately; thus does Sesha turn into Adi. Babulal can return to the Sesha state or stir Ananta in the customer by a simple question, "Anything else you wish to buy?" This one question provokes thoughts and ideas in the customer's mind, infinite ideas are unfurled, and there is a possibility of more business.

Life would continue, with joys and sorrows, triumphs and tragedies rising and falling like the waves of the sea. It was up to him to respond wisely, enjoy simple pleasures unshaken by the inevitable endless turmoil of the world.

The ego does everything in its power to establish and retain a permanent territorial hold over all external states that give it joy.

the social body also needs to die and be reborn, locate itself in the new structure.

Serpents are worshipped across India to ensure the fertility of land, as well as for children.

The throw of dice in a gambling match indicates fate while the movement of coins on the board indicates free will. Thus the Vedic game of dice was not just a game but a representation of life controlled by fate and free will. It was a part of fertility rituals. It was said that in the game of life, Yama, god of death and destiny, threw the die while humans guided by Kama, god of life and desire, had the power to move the coins.

Spiritual journey is the process of synthesis, of integration, when he can say, "I am this and I am that too." That

God creates the world as Brahma, sustains it as Vishnu and destroys it as Shiva.

God had stood up when man had not.

sometimes an action we think is right turns out to be wrong.

Hindu thought, however, looks at truth quantitatively: everyone has access to a slice (bhaga); the one who sees all slices of truth is bhaga-van. Limited truth is mithya. Limitless truth is satya. Satya is about including everything and being whole (purnam). The journey towards limitless truth expands our mind (brahmana).

According to the Jatakas, the Buddha was born as a frog in one of his previous lives. He saw a snake being attacked by a school of fish. The snake asked, 'Is this appropriate?' to which the frog replied, 'You eat the fish when they enter your territory. The fish attack you when you enter theirs. Considering the context,

Through the story of Ram, Vyasa is trying to explain that while we believe our problems are the greatest and our misfortunes the worst, there is always someone out there who has suffered more. And just as they survived and triumphed over their suffering, we must too.

One should have faith in one's friends and family and not let one harsh word break the bond of trust.

According to the Jatakas, the Buddha was born as a frog in one of his previous lives. He saw a snake being attacked by a school of fish. The snake asked, 'Is this appropriate?' to which the frog replied, 'You eat the fish when they enter your territory. The fish attack you when you enter theirs. Considering the context, what is happening now is surely appropriate.

He who controls the senses but has a mind full of cravings is a pretender who fools himself.